


Ace of Clubs

by unavoidablekoishi



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Chihiro spoilers for DR1 but everyone knows that by now, Hope's Peak AU, Non-Despair AU, Other, picking up more and more friends, quirky kids being bros, stupid pranks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-02 02:50:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12718125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unavoidablekoishi/pseuds/unavoidablekoishi
Summary: “Perhaps not...perhaps...an alliance would be more to your liking.” Gundham mutters, snatching the packet of sunflower seeds, where a good quarter of its contents seems to have gone mysteriously missing, and pushing it back into his jacket pocket.“Like a club?”“Hah...very well, if that is your choice of words. We shall form a club!”---In which Himiko and Gundham form a special club for those who don't quite fall into the 'mortal' category.





	1. Sunny Days

The bell trills loudly to signal the beginning of lunch period at Hope’s Peak Academy and students begin to leave their classrooms in swarms with the cafeteria as their destination. It’s the middle of June, just as the heat of summer is setting in across Japan, and the students are eager to laze about under the sun.

 

Gundham slips out of his classroom well after his peers, not at all looking to get swept up in the near uproarious crowd on his way to lunch. He begrudgingly passes the cafeteria hall outright, feeling the shape of a homemade packed lunch in his bag- why didn’t he bring some spare change with him? Ah, well, it was too late now, he would have to suffer.

 

Lunchtime at Hope’s Peak seems more like a competitive event than anything, after all it is first-come first-served and everyone is eager to be first. He catches a glimpse of the athletic students from his year, all sat on each others shoulders towering above the crowd. Impressive, considering that must be about six students in all.

 

He muffles a laugh under his scarf, knowing full well he could overpower the entire crowd with his power, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him, however the laugh stirs whatever sleeping creature was nesting comfortably in the depths of the purple, fluffy expanse.

 

He lifts his head back a bit, allowing room for a furry head to pop out of the top of his scarf and peer out at the corridor. The hamster looks up at Gundham with curiosity but Gundham knows full well what it’s intentions are- San-D knows perfectly well that it’s now the lunch hour and his innocent facade won’t bring food to his cheeks any sooner.

 

He finally reaches the doors that lead to the outside, pushing them open and wincing as the sun’s rays glare down on him. He wouldn’t say he was a nocturnal kind of person, but this was far too much sunlight and it did well to lessen the intensity of his powers.

 

The rummaging in his scarf has increased and he’s fully aware that the other three are now up, active and most definitely hungry. His pace quickens, once the tree he normally sits under comes into sight. It provides the perfect amount of shade while not being too cold and nobody comes near it, purely because they know  _ he _ sits there and that’s good, that’s how it should be.

 

He’s about to laugh triumphantly to himself until he notices that that’s not quite right, because there is someone already sat there, on the other side of the tree, taking in the sunbeams. 

 

His first reaction is annoyance- he was sure everyone knew that this was his chosen spot, nobody would dare intrude on his one place of solace, so who did this person think they were?

 

His second reaction is realisation. He’s seen this girl before- if he’s not mistaken, she belongs in the third class of his year. He has yet to speak to her for himself, but he knows of her existence.

 

His third and final reaction is interest, considering he’s been able to sense the strange, magical aura she extrudes merely by walking past her. She’s truly different compared to his other classmates but he isn’t quite sure how. He’s met her gaze once or twice in the gymnasium and it’s only now does he realise her look is a knowing one.

 

Could she really know the true extent of his powers? That would certainly be something.

 

“Excuse me…?”

 

He attempts to sound somewhat intimidating, but all that really comes out is a squeak. Guess he isn’t as accustomed to dealing with mortal problems as he thought.

 

She’s lying under the tree, hands behind her head and her witch hat, usually forbidden to be worn in the classroom due to uniform rules, is covering her face from the blinding sun. She lets out a small, weak groan, shifting the hat away from her face to squint up at whoever was disturbing her.

 

“I already said I’m not doing performances today…” She murmurs with such little energy Gundham wonders how she can stand on her own two feet. He’s partially miffed by how presumptuous her response is, but bites his tongue.

 

“That isn’t what I was going to say. Is there a reason you’re intruding here?”

 

The girl cracks open an eye to look back at Gundham. She’s definitely seen him around- you’d have to be blind not to notice him, and even then he emits such a strange feeling even the sightless could read. She sighs.

 

“The sun is way too hot today...it’s draining my MP.” She replies slowly, without really providing a substantial answer. Gundham can still feel the restless shuffling under his scarf and, instead of defending his territory, opts to sit down and feed his Four Dark Devas. They hold priority over whatever this girl was doing here.

 

“If the sun is draining your powers then why not take residence on the other side of the tree?” He offers, logically, not helpfully. The girl seems to pout, sinking lower and lower against the tree until only her head is at an angle to it.

 

“That’s no good. It’s too cold...guess this is a burden I gotta bear, huh.” She seems to accept defeat easily, but Gundham wonders if this is just an excuse to sleep in the sun. He’s seen her around the school, falling asleep in various places. Hell, he’s even seen the fearsome warrioress from Class 3 carrying her around in her arms.

 

He takes the moment to shudder, hoping he never has to cross paths with such a terrifying woman again, lest he is launched across the school grounds and into a tree.

 

“Well, the sun is only going to grow more powerful as the months go by. It’s not even August yet.” He warns her, plucking a bag of sunflower seeds from his jacket pocket and tipping a few out into his hand. San-D, ever alert to the call of food, races down his arm with the others sure to follow. He waits patiently for Cham-P to finally hop down from his hand, before reeling back and offering the seeds.

 

“Woah...are those hamsters?”

 

He flinches, ever so slightly, because he is so used to this question on such a regular basis, and even now it still bothers him because they  _ aren’t just hamsters _ but alas, mortals will never understand the true power of the Dark Devas until it is far too late.

 

“They are the Four Dark Devas of Destruction- it will do you well to address them as such.” He tells her, though it’s no skin off his nose if she chooses not to heed his warnings.

 

“I see.” She says, with more seriousness than he’d expected. “Hello, Dark Devas.” She greets, before closing her eyes once more in an effort to get a few minutes of sleep before school resumes.

 

He’s surprisingly pleased by her words, as not many people choose to greet them as such. They’re far too preoccupied by their innocent and cute facade to listen, which is also fine, seeing as the Devas thrive on such attention, but it’s only a matter of time.

 

“I sense you’re not like other mortals.” He says, because he’s not overly sure how to breach the topic, but he’s definitely interested when the girl offers a small smile.

 

“I’m a mage.” She tells him. “It sucks because it’s hard to replenish my MP here when all anybody wants me to do are silly tricks but…” She trails off, wiping her nose on her sleeve, but Gundham nods with understanding.

 

“I see. That’s incredibly impressive…I wouldn’t mind seeing the extent of your capabilities one day.” He smirks and she sits up suddenly, letting the hat fall down to her lap.

 

“You...believe me?”

 

He’s distinctly taken aback by the surprise in her voice. Just what does she mean by that? Did she doubt her own title as a mage?

 

“Well...of course. It’d be unwise not to take something like that seriously. I am not easily bested!” And with that, her mouth falls open.

 

“So...you do believe me. That I’m a mage.” She repeats again, and though he’s becoming exasperated, he offers a simple ‘Yes’.

 

The delight in her eyes is really something to behold, he thinks to himself, and it’s then does he realise and sympathise with her. He, too, has spent years of not being taken seriously and being ostracized for that and now, to make another person feel like they are exactly who they are is...nice.

 

“My name’s Himiko. Himiko Yumeno.” She offers, now a little more awake than before and clearly intrigued to meet the only man who’s ever believed her.

 

“I am Gundham Tanaka, the Supreme Overlord of Ice...but I will permit you to call me Gundham for now.” He offers a half smile, though it’s a little awkward, but Himiko accepts it all the same.

 

“Naa...I don’t really have a big title like that, but Gundham sounds nice.” She puts a finger to her lips, placing her witch’s hat back over her red hair.

 

“Such a title is earnt!” He tells her, almost like a tutor, “Your skills will grant you one in the future.” This causes her to almost pout and he wonders if her childish attitude is a deceitful cover for her incredible skills.

 

“That’s not fair...I’ve been doing shows for ages now...I should get a title better than ‘The Great Himiko’.”

 

Or...perhaps she  _ is _ naturally childish. She tilts her head to look up at him with half-lidded, sleepy eyes. “You’re good at titles, right? Why don’t you give me one?”

 

He’s tempted to refuse, however he doesn’t seem to want to disappoint her, so instead he closes his eyes in thought. Cham-P rolls over his leg and trots off to bother Himiko, much to her silent joy. She picks up the fat hamster in her hands and smiles, though she was never much one for animals, she’s had plenty of experience with them in her own shows.

 

“Well it’s proving a greater task than I initially thought...seeing as I know very little about your skills as a mage.” He admits, finally, though when he opens his eyes, there is only three hamsters sat in his lap. His eyes drift around the grass surrounding them- where could he be?

 

“Where has he gone…?” He murmurs, though he’s sure the ‘Invading Black Dragon’ Cham-P can hold his own, he’s still worried for the small creature.

 

“I made him disappear.” Himiko says, simply.

 

“Very clever.” Gundham smirks, “Though I wouldn’t call it impressive considering I had my eyes closed.” Himiko can’t deny it was far too easy, and nods in agreement, but not before lifting a finger, “Alright, but...what about the others?”

 

He looks back into his lap, where now only two hamsters remain.

 

“Wh-! Jum-P!” Again, he shouldn’t fret so much over such a powerful being, but...still…

 

“Oh no, where have they gone…?” Himiko asks, more mockingly than anything. Surely, she can’t have snatched Jum-P while he was staring straight at her. He’s tempted to scold her for 1, making them disappear and 2, not taking this seriously, but instead, he looks at her with suspicion. He shouldn’t have let his guard down so early. What a foolish mistake.

 

“Very well done, now it would be in your best interest to return the Devas with haste. You’re not familiar with their devastating capabilities.” He warns seriously, but Himiko shrugs the warning off, having dealt with testy animals in the past.

 

“Ah...I think it would be in your best interest to keep your eyes trained on what you’re worried about. Won’t be good for you if the others go missing, would it?” She gestures back down to his lap and this time, he lets out a sharp cry of surprise. That was most definitely on him, not paying attention. This crafty mage was good, there was no doubt about that.

 

He looks down, to where Maga-Z is squinting up at him, all by his lonesome. His eyes seem somewhat disapproving, as if to say ‘Well, what did you expect?’. Curse his foolishness.

 

He picks up Maga-Z protectively, glancing over at Himiko who sits patiently, watching him as if gauging his reaction. 

 

“What are you planning now?” He asks and she smiles merrily at him. “Aw, c’mon...I can’t reveal my secrets like that. It’s Mage Law.”

 

“I wasn’t aware mages lived by such a code. Perhaps that is something I must look into.” He murmurs and Himiko chuckles at just how serious this guy takes everything. On the other hand, it’s nice to be respected once in awhile.

 

However, this guy is really, amazingly bad at not keeping his eyes where they should be. He closes his eyes way too often and it was so hilariously easy to fool him. Then again, for someone so serious to be a bit of a dork was quite sweet.

 

These thoughts cross her mind as she nabs the last hamster. Two seconds later, there was another cry of anguish and she almost snorted.

 

“A-Alright, I can now see...what you’re capable of. Now if you would please return the Devas back to their rightful place.” He looks distinctly nervous, most likely due to the loss of his companions and Himiko felt a little guilty. Even though he labelled them as dark and powerful, it was clear he was very fond of his little friends.

 

With that, Himiko sighs, and lifts up her hat, where all four Dark Devas sit with an expression as cheeky as a hamster could make. Gundham gives a short gasp, for some reason having never expected them to be tucked away under her hat, but before he can retrieve them, she places the hat back down onto her head.

 

Of course, as Himiko planned, Gundham reaches up and grabs her hat for himself, only to find the hamsters gone. Himiko had to admit, the magic wasn’t as impressive considering the hamsters could move freely as they wished, but he seemed amazed to see the top of her head was now empty.

 

“W-Where did you--!!”

 

“Look. In your scarf.”

 

Suddenly, he can feel the familiar, warm, rustling of the Devas, all nestled safely in his scarf. After checking each one was returned with no damage, he sighs.

 

“You’re extremely lucky the Devas took a liking to you so quickly, or I can’t guarantee they would’ve spared you.” He says, finally, and Himiko laughs openly. “Guess I am, huh.”

 

“But I know now not to let my guard down around you.” He smirks, gently ruffling Cham-P’s fur with his finger. Cham-P seems to roll into the affection, appearing as nothing but a hamster puddle in Gundham’s scarf. It wasn’t often he had such a pleasant experience with another mortal, Sonia aside.

 

“So how about that title, huh?” She looks up at him expectantly, as if awaiting a great reward. Yes, it does seem as if she’s earned her title. Now...what would that be?

 

“Well...what do you use your magic for? Surely there must be a good reason to wield such immense power!” He asks, and she’s quick to answer, as this isn’t the first time she’s been asked.

 

“I use my magic to make people smile. That’s it.” She says, wearing a small, silly smile of her own. He nods his head in understanding, and Himiko is half-tempted to snatch a hamster again.

 

“I see. Quite a mild motive, yet incredibly pure-hearted.” He takes a moment to think deeply and Himiko watches the hamsters exchange blows with each other over his shoulders. Eventually, he sits back and open his eyes- Himiko wonders what brand of contact lenses he uses.

 

“Hmm. Yes, I think I’ve got it!” He laughs triumphantly, raising a hand, to which San-D sits upon in all of her immense glory. 

 

“If it suits your fancy….you shall be known as Himiko Yumeno…’Witch of Evanescent Sorrow!”

 

Himiko has...no clue what that means, but she can’t deny it sounds cool. “So...what does that mean?”

 

He pauses for a moment. “Well...you said yourself you use your magic to bring smiles and joy to people. Therefore, you vanquish all sadness from their minds and bring forth happiness! I believe it is a rather fitting title for someone with your motives in mind.”

 

She seems to ponder the title for a moment, silently repeating it as if to test the words on her own tongue, before clapping her hands together. “Sounds good!”

 

“I’m glad it is to your liking. Wear the title with pride, as your journey is not an easy one.” He seems to ramble on a bit, so much so Himiko tunes out quickly, but she appreciates his effort and company nonetheless. In fact, it’s not often she meets somebody she seems to click with easily.

 

She wonders just what the extent of his powers are…

 

“Huh….it’s really not often I meet someone like you, y’know.” She says, looking up at the clear sky, where the sun continues to blaze down upon the earth. “Nobody believes me when I tell them I’m the Ultimate Mage.”

 

“W-Wh...the Ultimate?!”

 

He sounds...somewhat surprised and Himiko is beyond confused. Didn’t she just finish telling him this? Wasn’t that what the whole conversation was about?

 

“I thought I already told you…” She quirks an eyebrow at him and he looks oddly fearful.

 

“You said no such thing! You informed me of your status as a mage but...not that you were the Ultimate Mage!”

 

….ah….so a small case of crossed wires. Himiko chuckles lightly, she didn’t realise they were mutually exclusive, but decides to clarify anyway. “That’s what I meant. I’m the Ultimate Mage- that’s my talent.”

 

Gundham appears absolutely horrified, yet also in awe. “If I had known that, I would not have made such casual conversation! Clearly you are somebody to be feared. To think you vanished the Four Dark Devas…” He’s clearly overthinking this and Himiko is somewhat tempted to tell him to calm down, but she likes the new position of power she’s been thrust into, so she rolls with it.

 

“Yup! You should be real careful of me!” She warns. “I can do some serious stuff.” Gundham gives a short growl, “Clearly...I’m lucky not to have made an enemy of you this day.”

 

“Nah, I don’t make enemies. Too much effort.” Himiko drawls, slouching down against the tree, feeling as if that last trick really took it out of her. Lunchtime was about to end soon and Tenko would be looking for her…

 

“Perhaps not...perhaps...an alliance would be more to your liking.” Gundham mutters, snatching the packet of sunflower seeds, where a good quarter of its contents seems to have gone mysteriously missing, and pushing it back into his jacket pocket.

 

“Like a club?”

 

“Hah...very well, if that is your choice of words. We shall form a club!”

 

Himiko pulls her hairclip from her fringe, taking a few loose strands with it, before putting it back in her hair. “As long as we don’t have to do work...a club sounds kinda cool.” She ponders the idea, though if what she knows of him so far is anything to go by, he’s not about to let her bail so easily.

 

In the distance, the bell rings, though it sounds more like a shrill whistle than anything else. Himiko groans, but gets to her feet, removing her hat lest she get lectured and reviewed the uniform rules once more. Though it makes her wonder…

 

“Hey...how come you’re allowed to wear the scarf? It’s not uniform rules.”

 

Gundham, now standing, gives a hearty laugh. “A board of mortals isn’t enough to stop me from wearing such an important garment. Whilst they have had the gall to lecture me on my choice of jewellery, I did not allow them to gain control over me. The Devil Dog earring stays with me no matter what.”

 

So...what he was really saying was that he outright refused to follow the rules and in the end, the school officials got bored and let him do whatever he wanted. That sounded ideal to Himiko, but she didn’t like being scolded, especially if they contacted her mother. She could live without the hat for a little while longer.

 

“So...about this club…” It was an odd suggestion, considering there was little they could do, but their mutual interest in magic seemed to be enough for Gundham, as he points an outstretched finger in Himiko’s face.

 

“We will meet in the library after school!”

 

“Ahh….alright then.” It wasn’t like she had anything else to do. Maybe it would be fun.

 

Himiko watches as Gundham collects his bag, containing his uneaten packed lunch, and heads off in the direction of the school building, but not before calling, “I look forward to it!” over his shoulder.

 

This causes Himiko to smile. She has yet to choose an extracurricular activity, and whilst this was hardly official, or really a proper club to begin with, it was nice to find something not totally out of her depth. 

 

She supposed she looked forward to it too, as she turns in the direction of the school’s courtyard and heads to her next class.


	2. Planning Pranks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore the fact this switches tense

“Are you sure about this? There’s no way I trust him!”

 

This really wasn’t the first time Himiko had heard these words from Tenko, “Yeah, I’m sure. I can hold my own against him, he knows how good of a mage I am.” She replied with pride, though she knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince her androphobe of a friend.

 

“Let me come too! I’ll make sure nothing happens to you!” Tenko’s eyes were shining with determination, but Himiko had to refuse. Whilst it was a nice offer...the outcome was usually less than pleasant.

 

“It’s okay, Tenko, really. Besides, you can go hang out with Mikan today, right?” It was a nice suggestion, considering how much of a positive effect Tenko had on Mikan and how much they enjoyed each other’s company.

 

Tenko looked incredibly reluctant, but agreed anyway, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Alright, but if anything happens, call me straight away! I’m not afraid to put a male degenerate in his place!” She barked, with a clenched fist for extra emphasis, so much so Himiko often felt sorry for the fear-stricken boys in their class.

 

“I will, I promise! Look, I even turned my phone on…” Himiko smiled, switching her phone on from inside her pocket. The lack of attention she paid to her mobile ended up with countless missed calls and text messages, so it was common knowledge to everyone that if you wanted to talk to Himiko, you had to do it face to face.

 

Tenko nodded, waving as she skipped down towards the Infirmary where Mikan would, no doubt, be lingering. Himiko waved her off, waiting until she rounded the corner, before picking up her own bag and setting off towards the library.

 

Though she didn’t like to read all that much, she enjoyed the library’s atmosphere, seeing as it was the one good place she could take a nap and not be disturbed. Whilst the school’s resident bookworm wasn’t overly fond of the library being used as a bedroom, she was more than happy to let Himiko stay, seeing as she was silent for the most part and caused little trouble.

 

Himiko silently hoped Touko had gone home for the day, knowing just how boisterous her new friend could be.

 

Nonetheless, she reached the second floor’s library in a record time of twelve minutes and thirty two seconds, and peered in- it was much darker than usual. She pushed the door open and fondled for the light switch.

 

“So you made it.”

 

She flicked the light switch on and Gundham winced at the sudden blinding assault.

 

“Yeah, I made it.” She murmured, pulling her skirt down where it had tucked up at the back. She dropped her bag by the door and moseyed over to the table Gundham was stood by, taking a seat and practically collapsing into it.

 

“So Touko isn’t here…” She muttered to herself.

 

“Indeed, it appears as if the witch has returned to her dwelling.” Gundham confirmed, with a suspicious shake in his voice. Did this guy have a nickname for everyone?

 

“So...what did you want to do? We could take a nap…” Himiko suggested, sounding rather hopeful, but Gundham shook his head- no surprise this guy had something planned for the both of them. She was still low on MP...hope he wasn’t planning anything mad.

 

“There is something I hoped we could accomplish today, that is, if you are willing to do so.” He said smartly, and Himiko’s eyes were drawn to where Cham-P sat on his shoulder with a fat pine nut between his fingers. Lucky hamster.

 

“I already said, my MP is way too low...I can’t do anything big.” She sprawled across the table, closing her eyes and telling herself she was only resting them- she could feel the table shudder, from where Gundham had taken a seat on it.

 

“It actually involves one of your own associates. I’m sure you’re familiar with him- the Clown Prince of Lies.” He raised a hand, as if cursing the very name and suddenly, Himiko knew exactly who he was talking about. Go figure.

 

She sighed. “Yeah...Too familiar.” But what did Gundham want to do that involved Ouma? Surely it was common knowledge to stay exactly fifty feet away from him and anything he owned. Even Gundham wasn’t stupid enough to mess with him.

 

Probably.

 

“It appears he thinks he can best the Supreme Overlord of Ice!” Gundham crossed his arms with a frown so deep Himiko wanted to laugh- he’d burst a blood vessel if he carried on like this.

 

“What did he do to you? Did he like...put a dead animal in your locker?” She raised an eyebrow, knowing full well Gundham had fallen prey to one of Ouma’s schemes.

 

“Gh!” Gundham gave a telltale grunt of anguish, and Himiko laughed openly, now that the cat was out of the bag (and not in his locker). “It...it wasn’t dead. Just very, very rabid. It took three periods to try and calm it down- not to mention all of the utter chaos it caused wound up with it hurting it’s own leg.”

 

“What did you do with it?” She asked, seeing no sign of a new animal on his person and Gundham sighed. “I tended to it’s wounds, but in the state it was in, there was nothing I personally could do to help with it’s illness so I contacted an associate of mine to take care of it.”

 

Himiko nodded with understanding, “So it’s okay now?” 

 

“Yes, it should be just fine. Once it’s fully recovered I will look into returning it to it’s rightful owner. That damned clown...how dare he pull such a stunt!” He, once again, raised a fist to emphasise his utter distaste for the strange liar.

 

“So what you’re saying is...Ouma stuck a rabid animal in your locker and now you want payback?” This definitely sounded like something she could get behind. She could feel her MP levels rising steadily with the intrigue.

 

“He is a fool if he thinks he can get away with this! Thus...we must strike back! Our abilities combined are more than enough to be successful.” He grinned, as the Dark Devas took a stance on his shoulder, as if to mimic him.

 

“So what do you suggest we do…? We gotta plan somethin’ real sneaky to get past Ouma. He knows, like, every trick in the book.” Himiko mused, racking her brain for any useful knowledge that could aid them. 

 

“We don’t have to be sneaky to trick him. In fact...we could put something in plain sight.” Gundham murmured, with a smirk. “You don’t have to be sneaky to scare somebody. Do you know what he could be scared of?”

 

Himiko hummed, sitting back in her seat. “I don’t really know...but we could use something that’s just...scary in general.” Gundham nodded in agreement, “But it’s also a matter of what is accessible to us.”

 

It’s that moment when Himiko sat up, eyes wide in a sudden burst of inspiration.

 

“Hey...you work with animals don’t you? What kind of animals?” Gundham looked mildly alarmed by the sudden question, but shrugged. “I’m responsive to all types of animals, even the most deadly. Why do you ask?”

 

“Okay so listen…”

 

After a few moments, Gundham’s eyes light up with excitement. “Perfect.” He grinned. “But how can we trick him leading up to that?”

 

“Well, I share a class with the Ultimate Artist. I know Angie will be happy to help us. So...what if she made…”

 

Himiko muttered her suggestion to Gundham with newfound excitement.

 

“Yes, yes, I see now! Perhaps we could…”

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent devising their plot against Ouma and Himiko hadn’t felt more motivated to do anything in a long time. Sure, it was a little crafty, but perfectly safe and nothing worse than the plans Ouma had concocted in the past.

 

“Hahah! Our plan is sure to succeed against the evil prince! I commend your efforts, witch, for this is a remarkable feat!” Gundham sat back in his chair, a scrap piece of paper sat on the table before him, covered in scribbles describing their plot. Himiko clapped her hands together. “This should be fun!”

 

Himiko had observed the plans made by her own classmates in an attempt to take Ouma down a peg, all with disastrous results and occasional detentions, but with their combined efforts this was sure to work.

 

“Just don’t expect me to do anything this scale again for awhile...it really drains my MP.” She complained, but Gundham merely nodded, “Indeed. Perhaps some kind of training is in order to boost your skills.”

 

“Wha...that sounds like way too much trouble.” She whined, resting her head down on the table- it ached a little after so much thinking. “So we’re gonna do this tomorrow after school, right?”

 

“Hello?”

 

Himiko lifted her head, alerted to the sound of a new voice by the door- she could barely see over her shoulder as to who it was but the hair looked familiar.

 

“Ah, so it’s you!” Gundham announced. “Welcome, pure one. We were meeting to discuss a plot against the imp from the third class!”

 

Come to think of it, Himiko had definitely seen this girl around school. Apparently she was super intelligent, responsible for most of the programs on their school computers. “Do I know you…?” She asked, lazily.

 

“I’m not sure…” She beamed, with rosy red cheeks, “My name’s Chihiro! Were you planning a trick on Ouma?” She tilted her head, and Himiko could now see why she had received the nickname ‘pure one’ from the dark overlord. She looked like an angel.

 

“Yeah...the guys in my class couldn’t do it so it’s up to me and my magic to pull it off.” She sighed, as if it were truly a great burden to bear.

 

“Oh!” Chihiro’s eyes lit up with realisation, “You’re the Ultimate Magician, aren’t you? Isn’t your name Himiko…?” Himiko scowled in response, “I’m the Ultimate Mage.” Gundham nodded in agreement, “The mortals have some nerve to mask her abilities with their meaningless titles.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Chihiro bowed awkwardly, wary not to drop the tray in her hands. “I didn’t realise!” Himiko scratched the back of her head, clearly not expecting Chihiro to apologise. “Nah, it’s...okay.”

 

“Nonetheless, is there a reason you’ve approached our meeting?” 

 

Chihiro seemed to look blank for a moment, before springing into gear. “Oh. Oh! Yeah! Well...I didn’t see you in the cafeteria today, Gundham.” She pointed out, shyly, and Gundham faltered. “Y-Yes, well...I was bequeathed a packed lunch this morning.”

 

Chihiro laughed merrily, “That’s what I thought! I had a cooking class today and...I know you don’t like the packed lunches your mum makes, so...I brought you these!” Chihiro carefully pulled off the tinfoil from the top of the tray, revealing an array of sweet snacks.

 

“So, these ones are sunflower seeds...these are pine nuts and sesame seeds- oh these ones are just plain peanut.” She pointed to each batch, setting the tray down on the table. “I figured you wouldn’t have eaten anything today so I made lots extra.” 

 

Gundham seemed to sputter at the overwhelmingly kind gesture, as Himiko reached out to snag a peanut treat, hastily shoving it into her mouth. “Mm...s’good.” She muffled around the mouthful.

 

Gundham tentatively nibbled on a sunflower seed treat before breaking out into a small smile. “You are truly a master of confectionery.”

 

“So...what’s this?” Chihiro tapped the piece of paper on the table. “Is this your plan to trick Ouma? I hope it’s not too cruel…” Himiko snorted, “If it’s cruel, the guy deserves it, but it’s okay. We have it all planned out.”

 

“W-Wait, is that a--?”

 

“Indeed it is,” Gundham laughed, “Our skills combined have made for an excellent plan.”

 

“Well,” Chihiro beamed, “If you need my computing expertise, I’m happy to help! So long as it’s not...too dangerous.” She mumbled, taking a pine nut treat from the tray. “Oh, that’s right…” Himiko yawned, “You do computer stuff, don’t you?”

 

“Chihiro’s talent is the programmer. He’s incredibly skilled with machines- an invaluable asset.” Chihiro flushed at the high praise, taking a seat beside Himiko, who looked between them in confusion.

 

“Huh...did you say ‘he’?”

 

Chihiro choked on the treat. After crudely coughing it back out in her hand, she smiled nervously. “Yeah...about that. I’m not exactly all that I look.”

 

“Oh...is this like an innate preference thing…?” Himiko scarfed down another peanut bar, brushing crumbs from her skirt. Chihiro shrugged. “I don’t mind either way, it’s just that it was easier and it stopped me from getting bullied...but I’m working on getting stronger!” 

 

As if to prove his strength, Chihiro flexed his arms and laughed. “I guess a few people know already- it was bound to happen but I prefer it that way. People will figure it out soon enough, but in the meantime…” He took another treat.

 

“There is nothing wrong with training to boost your strength, as I was telling Himiko earlier, as her MP drains remarkably quickly.” Himiko groaned in response, leaving Chihiro to wonder just what ‘MP’ meant.

 

“It’s not like I’m gonna be buff. That would be weird…”

 

“So when are you planning this trick for? Tomorrow?” Chihiro tilted his head in curiosity- Gundham nodded, “Tomorrow afternoon. Come to think of it...we need to find a way to keep him inside the building and keep everyone out.”

 

He tapped his bottom lip in thought, “You...wouldn’t be able to assist us on that front, would you?”

 

Chihiro looked mildly surprised for a moment, before relaxing. “I think I can. I might be able to send a mass email and...judging by what’s written here, I might have a few other useful bits for you!” He grinned and Himiko flashed him a thumbs up. “Sounds good.”

 

She took the final treat from the tray, leaving it empty save for some stray crumbs, which the Devas had been eager to get their hands on. “So...I can bring the stuff in real early tomorrow, which is lucky ‘cause I don’t do that for just anyone, and I have a few free periods too so I can help you sort the stuff out.”

 

“Yes of course,” Gundham nodded, “that will give me more than enough time to become acquainted with our partner.”

 

“And for the other stuff, Angie says she can do it by tomorrow lunchtime. Maybe Chihiro can help us set it up.” Himiko suggested, rearranging her hat. “But we’ll need a way to keep him away from the setup areas…”

 

“I think I could find a way…” Chihiro murmured. “I do a lot of school voluntary work so it wouldn’t be odd for me to ask for his help in that sense. I think this could work!” He sounded incredibly chipper, clapping his small hands together. Gundham gave a low laugh. “I certainly didn’t expect the pure one to have such a mischievous side.”

 

“Hey…” Himiko yawned, “does this mean Chihiro is part of our club now?”

 

“Club? This is a club…?”

 

“Indeed,” Gundham gingerly picked up Cham-P from the desk, placing him neatly on his shoulder, “an alliance for those who do not fall into the category of mortals. Whilst you are clearly a mortal, you are a very special one.”

 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Himiko smiled, “you seem super sweet. The chances of finding someone like that often is real low.” Chihiro flushed, nervously fiddling with the hem of his skirt. “T-That’s...really nice of you guys. I don’t mind joining your club, if you’d have me.”

 

“Then it’s settled!” Gundham announced. “It appears our alliance has recruited another member.”

 

The three laughed together, to the addition of the one they could only really call the ‘pure one’. Himiko felt it was a good addition and Chihiro a good person.

 

Guess this club wasn’t so much of a hassle after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chihiro is here! what a good kid.


	3. Risky Setup

 

Himiko returned to school the next day with a bit of a spring in her step. No doubt Chihiro had already sent the message out to the school, sans Ouma, as Tenko shot her a suspicious, yet cheerful smile.

 

“You’re up to something.” She commented, in amongst the busy corridor. “That email we got sent was nothing to do with you, was it?” Tenko may have seemed like the brawn-over-brains type, but she was incredibly observant when it came down to it. Himiko shrugged.

 

“Who knows.” She smiled, pressing her fingers together. Tenko bit her lip habitually, “What time did you get to school? Usually you’re nowhere to be seen for another half hour yet.” She said, checking her watch.

 

“Like….half 6. I had some stuff I needed to bring in, an’ it wasn’t easy.” She replied, soon feeling the short-lived effects of motivation wear away, remembering her timetable for the day.

 

“Himiko, you have to tell me what you’re planning! That weirdo boy didn’t put you up to anything, did he?” Tenko was clearly on the verge of rolling her sleeves up in determination. “Nah…” Himiko drawled, “It was kinda more my idea. Besides, there’s no way he could pull it off without my help…”

 

“So you are planning something!!”

 

Tenko’s loud cry sent a few other students staring in their direction- she flushed suddenly, turning back to Himiko. “I knew it…” She hissed, “What are you up to?”

 

Himiko grinned, now that the cat was somewhat out of the bag, “You gotta trust me, okay? You’ll see it soon enough.” That was, providing Chihiro could acquire the camera footage from around the school. Tenko seemed reluctant to drop the topic, but sighed as the bell rang.

 

“Alright, I’ll trust you. But you better tell me later!”

 

“I’m counting on it…”

 

\------

  
  


Lunchtime couldn’t come soon enough, and when it did, Himiko found herself and Gundham were stood outside one of the many sheds behind the school, where their ‘secret weapon’ was stashed.

 

“I came out to check earlier on, whilst I went on an out-of-class excursion- I must say, this is truly astounding.” Gundham nodded, as Himiko gently opened the door to peer in.

 

“Has it all been okay? Like...there wasn’t any trouble, was there?” Himiko questioned, glancing around the corner of the shed for any signs of unwanted attention. Gundham shook his head, pulling the front of his scarf down, “No, no trouble at all. You’ve done quite an excellent job, especially from my perspective. I never knew you dabbled in this kind of thing.”

 

“Well,” Himiko began, “I guess they had a good part in my shows, but it’s more than just the shows, y’know. One of my friends has been keeping them for me- they’re super good at this stuff but if I’d known you earlier, I prolly woulda asked you.”

 

“I’m flattered you’d trust me with something so exquisite.” Gundham smiled. “There will be time for that once this is completed, but for now…”

 

“So...it’s all been okay?”

 

“Truly. I believe this will go off without a hitch. Was the message successfully sent?”

 

“Yeah, a friend of mine asked me about it earlier- guess Chihiro did it.” She clapped her hands together. “Angie says the stuff will be dry towards the end of the day- we might not have that much time to set up…”

 

“It will be enough, so long as you don’t mind being quick about it.”

 

Himiko leant up on her tiptoes to meet Cham-P’s gaze from inside Gundham’s scarf- she reached out to pet the hamster on the head. “That’s okay, but don’t expect me to do anything else this large scale again...my MP’s going down real quickly.”

 

“I trust you can hold out until the end of the day.”

 

“Now that I can do.”

 

* * *

 

“Eh? Oh, oh, oh! Yes, they’re all done!” Angie chirped, leading the two through the art classroom, where an informal class was taking place, and to the storage room in the back. Himiko and Gundham had opted to skip the last two of their afternoon classes in favour of setting up their little trick.

 

“Thanks, Angie. Really appreciate it.” Himiko yawned, feeling lethargic from having woken up so early in the morning. “That’s okay,” Angie beamed, pulling the white cover sheet from her little side-project, “You can pay me back by making an offering to God and videoing the whole thing to show me! Okay?”

 

“Eh…” Himiko flinched, “We’ll see what we can do.”

 

Angie threw the cover sheet into the corner of the room, before standing back and admiring her commission. “There, is that okay? Where are you gonna put them?”

 

“Woah…” Himiko replied, in awe. “That’s...super scary. It’s perfect!”

 

“You are truly a master of the arts.” Gundham complemented, “Incredibly realistic, as to be expected of God’s Handmaid.” and Angie giggled in response. “We could burn them for a ritual when you’ll all done using them!”

 

“We’ll pass on that for now.” Himiko hummed, “We were planning on maybe setting it up behind a corridor so it’s more hidden. Or maybe on the ceiling...it could drop down like ‘raaah’.” Himiko raised her hands like claws for emphasis.

 

“The ceiling sounds tough.” Angie murmured, twiddling her paintbrush in her fingers. “If you set it up next to a doorway and covered it up with a standing signboard or something...that could work!”

 

“That isn’t a bad idea.” Gundham admitted. “We will have to decide soon. There isn’t much time whilst the other students are…..evacuated.”

 

“Ohhh, so  _ that _ ’ _ s _ what that email was all about!” Angie said, in her moment of realisation. “Y’know I was wondering about that...sucks though, I’d love to be around when it happens!”

 

“We’ll find a way.” Himiko bowed her head in appreciation of the fine artwork before her. Angie had clearly done an excellent job in such a short span of time, which was to be expected of the Ultimate Artist. Whilst Himiko was fairly adept to art, she favoured realism in this case and decided to leave it to a professional.

 

“Thanks again, Angie...we’ll get to finding a good place to hide them.” Himiko said, as Gundham assisted her in carrying one of the large boards- there were three of them in total.

 

“Okaaay~! Don’t get caught! The teachers might be real sore if they knew what you were up to.” Angie warned, but the other two knew damn well the teachers would easily let this slide if they knew the details.

 

The teachers at Hope’s Peak, while few and far between, were very lax about their students behaviour and use of time. Whilst a lot of students chose to bunk off in favour of honing their own talent- which was fair enough seeing as that was what they were set to do for the rest of their lives- a lot of others were smart enough to attend classes to hone their other academic skills.

 

Himiko merely took the time to sleep, but paid attention when it suited her. Nonetheless, it was common for students to organise their own, large-scale projects and as long as it was pushing the limits of their talents and could, at the bare minimum, be called ‘educational’, the teachers had little complaint.

 

“Hff….hf…”

 

It was one of the last lessons of the day- students who chose to bunk classes had usually gone home by now, and those who chose to attend were busy working, leaving the corridors empty for their use.

 

“You sound somewhat pained.” Gundham pointed out, as the two lugged one of the boards down the corridor. Himiko whined, “It’s way too heavy...I don’t like lifting heavy stuff…”

 

Gundham sighed, before stopping short. He set his end of the board down, and rummaged around his scarf, before coaxing the Devas out onto his palm. Himiko slouched over, panting heavily from the physical exertion.

 

He leant down, gently setting the hamsters on Himiko’s shoulders. She looked up at him quizzically, until her mouth dropped open. With a loud grunt, Gundham hefted the board onto his back all by his lonesome. The Devas clapped their tiny hands together in sync.

 

“Woah…..you’re strong.” Himiko didn’t really know what else to say other than that. Gundham merely nodded, “Well...physical strength is useful for many things…” He responded, though he sounded suspiciously wheezy.

 

Himiko continued to trot down the corridor, Devas on shoulder, with Gundham in tow. “Himi...ko…” Gundham choked, “If you wouldn’t mind...assisting me- as the Handmaid said, there should be some….standing signboards in the area.”

 

“Oh.” Himiko stretched her aching limbs, “I can do that. Well...c’mon Devas, let’s go find a signboard to use.” And with that, she skipped off, leaving Gundham to smile as he hoisted the board up. It really wasn’t often people treated his companions with the respect they deserved, not to mention they’d really taken a liking to Himiko. Perhaps that was her magical charms at work…

 

Eventually, at the end of the corridor, he set the board down, sliding it to the side of the door where it remained mostly concealed- now to wait for Himiko to return with the signboard.

 

“Oh, there you are!”

 

Gundham’s head snapped up and he stumbled to cover the board with his legs, but luckily, it was only Chihiro. “It’s just me, silly. So, how’s everything working out?”

 

Gundham sighed, taking a seat on the floor against the wall. “It’s all going according to plan- the witch will be returning soon with something to conceal this board. After that, we’ll need to move the other two.”

 

Chihiro hummed, “That sounds like a lot of hard work. So...let me guess, this board is supposed to slide out in front of the door? So anybody walking this way will see it…”

 

“Correct, though we plan on Ouma being able to figure out these are merely cutouts.”

 

“But how is it going to slide out? If you, yourself, were to sit and do it manually, he’d figure out it was all you.” Chihiro warned, inspecting the board, clearly impressed by the talent of the Ultimate Artist.

 

Gundham merely laughed in response, not at all worried, “You seem to forget I have an invaluable set of companions. They are more than ready to complete this task!”

 

Chihiro looked rather blank. “Y-You mean...the Four Devas? Your hamsters are going to pull this out? But it looks so heavy!” Chihiro didn’t want to openly tell Gundham just how delusion the plan sounded, but he had, in the past, witnessed the four hamsters in all their glory. They were quite adept to strange tasks.

 

“Though if you propped it against the signboard, it would be easier to wheel around. Plus it’s less heavier if you just had to push it and not pick it up…” Chihiro murmured, “I hope they’ll be okay.”

 

“The Devas have undergone much more gruelling tasks than this one. They will do well, I assure you.” He replied, and Chihiro beamed. “Wow, you really have a lot of faith in them! That’s sweet.”

 

Gundham flushed, tugging his scarf up to cover his trembling lips. “I...suppose you could say that.”

 

“I found ittt~!” Himiko sang, wheeling the signboard with one foot, whilst standing on it with the other, essentially riding it down the corridor. “Will this work?”

 

“Oh, it looks perfect.” Chihiro replied, assisting Himiko with pulling the signboard in front of the board, as the Devas scurried off back to Gundham. “Gundham says he’s going to trust the Devas to push the board out when someone walks past.” Chihiro informed Himiko, who looked distinctly alarmed.

 

“They...they can do that?” Himiko wasn’t entirely sure how a hamster could understand the plan, but they seemed to look up at Gundham with such knowing in their eyes...she almost believed they really were magical.

 

“You remember the Clown, don’t you?” He asked them, scrolling through his phone, on the school’s roster, before coming across a mugshot of a cheeky looking Ouma. “This man.”

 

The Devas seemed to natter to one another, before scurrying towards the board, as Gundham visually instructed them on what to do. Himiko watched in amazement as, in sync, the hamsters worked to push the board out in front of the door. Chihiro, who was standing on the other side, gave a mock cry of surprise, as if to emulate how the scene would play out.

 

“How...how do they understand that?”

 

“Well once you show them how...I suppose they understand.” Gundham commented, fishing out the near-empty packet of sunflower seeds- the Devas dashed from their work to crowd around the bag. Guess that was their treat for doing such a good job.

 

“So, as we set up each board, I’ll continue to show them what to do. They’ll be able to follow him without detection.” Gundham gently patted Jum-P’s fur. “They’re incredibly diligent, as to be expected.”

 

“So...now we go and get the other boards?”

 

“Correct.” Gundham lifted the hamsters up into his scarf and stood up. “Let’s hope nobody decides to move the board while we’re gone.”

 

“Oh, that’s right. I could work on distracting Ouma now!” Chihiro suddenly jumped to attention. “I’ll get on that.”

 

“What are you gonna tell him?” Himiko asked, cleaning the wax out of her ear with her little finger- Gundham grimaced, watching her. 

 

“I could ask him to help me clear out one of the storage rooms…” Chihiro mused, “Not to mention I know I’m a bit of an easy target for practical jokes so…”

 

“...knowing him, he won’t be able to resist to tease you a little.” Himiko finished, largely unimpressed. “I have to admit, some of his jokes are funny but he gets super annoying.”

 

“Do you think this prank will work on him, though? I mean, I’d definitely be scared…” Chihiro laughed, albeit nervously, looking down at the large cutout.

 

“It’s bound to.” Himiko responded, coolly. “C’mon, we should get the other cutouts- we don’t have much time. Do you know where Ouma is…?” She’d half expected him to gone home, and also half expected him to be mooching around the corridor, as he most often did.

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s in detention right now- he wasn’t in any of your classes today, right?” Chihiro tilted his head, and Himiko deadpanned, “He’s never in any of my classes. I don’t even know why he gets out of bed in the morning.”

 

“Detention, you say? What was he imprisoned for?” Gundham questioned, and although Himiko wanted to point out ‘imprisoned’ seemed like an exaggeration, when you’re sat in an empty room by yourself for hours, it did certainly feel like prison.

 

“Did you not hear? He...somehow captured, like, three pigeons from outside and set them loose in the cafeteria.”

 

“Hahahah.” Himiko laughed suddenly, but cupped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she muffled, “but that’s actually kinda funny.” Gundham, however, looked massively offended by Ouma’s misuse of innocent pigeons.

 

“Well…” Chihiro began to stride off, “...it wasn’t fun for the janitors, I can tell you that now. His detention is meant to be up in about fifteen minutes, so I’ll keep him occupied after that until you’re done.” He waved at the two while he left, “See you later.”

 

“Thanks again!” Himiko called, as the two began to set off in the opposite direction, towards the art room.

 

“I hope this works out. I hate wasted effort.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at first i thought 'hm this is probably really unrealistic for hamsters' but then I remembered jum-p probably has a degree in astrophysics so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> also kudos to anyone who figures out what they're doing


End file.
